Baton Rouge’s three largest hospitals—Ochsner Baton Rouge, Our Lady of the Lake and Baton Rouge General—all received A ratings for patient safety from the Leapfrog Group’s Hospital Safety Grades program, which reviews more than 2,600 facilities across the country and generates a report card for each.
They were among 22 Louisiana hospitals receiving an A rating this spring, out of 54 overall. (Ratings are updated twice annually, in the spring and fall.)
The Leapfrog Group grades hospitals with an A, B, C, D or F based on the facility’s overall performance in 28 measures, including reported errors, accidents and injuries. Patients treated at C-rated hospitals have a 35% greater risk of avoidable death than an A-rated hospital, while people treated at D- and F-rated hospitals have a 50% greater chance of avoidable death.
“Hospitals that earn an A grade are making it a priority to protect patients from preventable medical harm and error,” says Leah Binder, president and CEO of the Leapfrog Group, in a prepared statement.
Ochsner Baton Rouge CEO Eric McMillen touts the system’s “unmatched” use of digital medicine and innovation as key drivers of the top rating, which the hospital has received each consecutive designation period since Fall 2015.
Meanwhile, “new wireless technology to reduce falls” and “hourly patient-centered rounding” are among some of the reasons given by OLOL President and CEO K. Scott Wester. Our Lady of the Lake Ascension was also awarded an A.
Baton Rouge General has earned the top mark for eight years in a row because of a “culture centered on the patient,” says President and CEO Edgardo Tenreiro. The hospital also recently received the Outstanding Patient Experience Award from HealthGrades, which identifies U.S. hospitals delivering a positive experience for patients during their stays.
See how Ochsner, Our Lady of the Lake and Baton Rouge General scored in each measure.
